Marketing Week
7 August 2008
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ABTA reports Ryanair to OFT over online bookings
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Ryanair has been reported to the Office of Fair Trading by the Association of British Travel Agents over threats to cancel all bookings not made on its own website. But the airline, a serial OFT offender, has dismissed objections made by consumer groups as “hilarious”.
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Account comparisons misleading, rules ASA
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
An Alliance & Leicester ad that compared its accounts to those of Lloyds TSB has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
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Advertisers lobby Govt over Electoral Register data
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) has written to the Prime Minister's Office expressing concern that direct marketers may no longer have access to data on the Electoral Register.
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Ambi Pur campaign to push plug-in range
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Sara Lee is launching a 3.6 m television campaign for its Ambi Pur home fragrance range. The ten-month campaign will kick off next week with a two-week burst to back its Puresse collection.
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Bandai breaks with tradition for Catcha Beast launch
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
Toy brand Bandai is launching its "most ambitious marketing campaign ever" in the UK to support the launch of its new Catcha Beast game.
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Bandai promotes marketing director
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Bandai has promoted marketing director Rosie Bayles to the new role of director of media and licensing. The toy company is also looking at doubling the size of its UK marketing and licensing operation following a restructure.
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Bebo appoints global head of mobile
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Bebo has appointed Sean Kane to the new role of global head of mobile for the social networking site. He has moved from his position as general manager of social networking platform provider Intercasting Corporation.
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Beware the negative aspects of playing brand loyalty card
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Calling consumers fickle is a distortion of marketing principles that were smuggled into the profession under the brand loyalty banner
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Blackthorn Cider targets West Country sports fans
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
Blackthorn Cider is targeting sports fans in the West Country through an outdoor campaign. The ad, which breaks on August 11, will have the strapline: "Loving Sport in the Blackthorn Country".
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Blinkx Remote aims for online TV dominance
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Video search engine Blinkx is hoping to piggyback the success of broadcaster services such as the BBC iPlayer by launching a one-stop shop for consumers wanting to watch TV shows online.
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Bottled water brands form single lobby group
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
Nestl?aters, Danone Waters and Highland Spring are joining forces to form a lobby group to tackle the backlash against the bottle water industry. The Natural Hydration Council will come into operation on September 1.
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Branson to challenge airline tie up
Mon, 11 Aug 2008
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is set to launch a major advertising campaign to challenge British Airways' (BA) plans for a tie-up with American Airlines (AA). Branson claims that the proposed deal would damage transatlantic competition.
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British Gas in bid to counter rising energy costs fall-out
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
British Gas, the utility giant, is launching a three-pronged marketing strategy as part of its bid to counteract soaring energy prices.
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Camelot TV ads promote Scrabble-themed scratchcard
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Camelot is launching a TV campaign to support its latest National Lottery scratchcard. A Scrabble-themed card is being introduced to mark the 60th anniversary of the board game.
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Campaign promotes new look Sky 1
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
BSkyB has unveiled its "biggest ever" on- and off-air overhaul of entertainment channel Sky One, which will be backed by a heavyweight marketing campaign later this month.
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Can Senior's team revive Saatchi in London?
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
It was this time last year that Publicis Groupe announced a mini-structure for the Saatchi & Saatchi network: SSF, an alliance headed by Saatchi's worldwide chief executive Kevin Roberts and the founding partner of Fallon, Robert Senior, who became the chief executive of the group in ...
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Children more influenced by advertising
Sun, 10 Aug 2008
Children are highly influenced by brands and logos, according to a new survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). It has also found that the influence of advertising and marketing on children has become far more significant than five years ago.
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Chris Ingram: On the importance of customer service
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
At the beginning of this year, I wrote about the need to get the basics of customer service right. There seemed to be a lot of talk by senior management and marketing folk, but little delivery.
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Cond矎ast to launch US technology title in the UK
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Cond?ast UK is understood to be planning a multi-million pound relaunch of the American technology magazine Wired, and is in talks with advertising agencies about launching a UK version and an accompanying website next year.
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Danone Waters to market Volvic line as single brand
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Danone Waters will bring all three of its Volvic brands under one umbrella for the first time when marketing the drinks line. As part of the changes it has also begun restructuring its marketing department.
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Dewar's holds separate 5m pitch
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Bacardi-owned Scotch whisky brand Dewar's is holding a separate global pitch for its £5m advertising business.
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DMA to launch best practice guidelines
Sun, 10 Aug 2008
The Direct Marketing Association has unveiled research that finds that initial client and agency meetings are often poorly planned and end up becoming a wasted opportunity. In response the DMA is launching a series of best practice initiatives. The independent research conducted for the DMA ...
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Etihad airline seeks online partnerships for expansion
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Etihad, the airline of Abu Dhabi, is searching for online and technology partners, and new sponsorship opportunities, as it pursues its ambitious growth plans.
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Fallon wins Orange 10m Gold Spot cinema ad brief
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Orange has moved its 10m Gold Spot cinema advertising account out of Mother to Fallon without a pitch. The move will strengthen Fallons hold on the business and consolidate the brands advertising into its I Am and Together We Can Do More strategy.
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Finding a way through the gloom
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
The marketing industry is expecting a tough ride, as the economic climate looks increasingly bleak. But downturns provide opportunities for market researchers to prove their worth. By David Benady
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Freesat to hold advertising business pitch
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Freesat, the free-to-air digital service launched by ITV and BBC, is seeking an advertising agency. It is understood that it has already started approaching agencies.
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From Zero to hero
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Coca-Cola's sugar-free reaction to obesity fears among young men, Coke Zero, has attracted more of the target consumers to the cola market. Camille Alarcon reports in its success so far
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GE pushes Beijing Olympics sponsorship
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
General Electric (GE) is launching a global campaign to promote its sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics. It breaks to coincide with the opening ceremony later today (August 8).
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Glasses Direct signs up as first Platform-A customer
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
AOL's Platform-A has announced that Glasses Direct is its first customer. Glasses Direct will use two of Platform-A's advertising solutions in a campaign aimed at increasing its brand awareness.
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Global Radio and GCap Media merger gets go-ahead
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
The Office of Fair Trading has given the green light to the merger of Global Radio and GCap Media. The deal will not be referred to the Competition Commission after the two companies agreed to dispose of several regional stations, including GCap's flagship Birmingham station, BRMB.
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GoochiCoo to expand into new products
Mon, 11 Aug 2008
Baby property GoochiCoo has signed a deal with Bulldog Licensing to develop a selection of new products. They will be launched in the UK, Europe and the US.
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Government lauches foreign languages campaign
Sun, 10 Aug 2008
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has launched an integrated marketing campaign to encourage secondary school pupils to take GCSEs in modern foreign languages (MFL). The campaign strategy, aimed at 11 to 14 year olds, was developed by Naked Communications with Farm creating the advertising.
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H Samuel aids breast cancer charity
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
H Samuel, part of the Signet Group, has entered a partnership with Breakthrough Breast Cancer as part an awareness campaign, which will launch in October.
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Hamleys marketing chief quits
Mon, 11 Aug 2008
Hamleys' marketing director Stella Hartley has quit the company as it prepares to cut jobs in a restructure of its head office. It is not thought she has a job to go to, but will undertake consultancy work.
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Health push gets family support
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Although parents shoulder responsibility for their children's rising obesity levels, they welcome Government and industry initiatives such as the soon-to-launch 75m Change4Life campaign
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Hovis revives its wholesome heritage in 15m relaunch
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Hovis, the Premier Foods-owned bread brand, will be hoping a 15m relaunch will revitalise its fight against rival Warburtons.
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IDS expands online business
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
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InterContinental expansion fails to buoy profits
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
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It's not britain's weather that is bad for business, but its natives
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
A Devon councillor claims pessimistic weather forecasters are ruining tourism in the UK - but visitors are more likely to be put off by Britons themselves
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James Kydd to exit Virgin Media
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
James Kydd, Virgin Media managing director of brand and marketing, is leaving the company at the end of September. It is understood that he is currently considering a range of options.
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Johannesburg in bid to outlaw ambush marketing
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Johannesburg is proposing a new law to stop ambush marketing ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2010. The plans include heavy fines or a prison sentence for brands that break the rules.
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Ladbrokes profits drop by 30%
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Ladbrokes, the betting shop owner, has reported a 30% decline in profits to 94m after Royal Ascot and dips in telephone wagers. The group reported its results for the first half, ending June 30, today (August 7).
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Match.com campaign to target single men
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
Online dating site match.com is launching a summer TV campaign to target men for the first time. The ads carry the strapline "Too Many Women" to illustrate the fact that online dating is now a popular choice for women.
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Mediacom wins 12m IG Index account
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Spread-betting operator IG Group has appointed Mediacom to the 12m global media planning and buying business for IG Index, its financial spread-betting arm. MediaCom pitched against ZenithOptimedia and Phd for the business.
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Mediaedge:cia wins 10m First Group media account
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
First Group, the travel operator, is understood to have appointed Mediaedge:cia Manchester to handle its £10m media planning and buying account. It is thought the agency pitched against incumbent Feather Brooksbank and Mediacom for the account.
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Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy seeks 'high profile' vice-chairman
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy has put out a brief for a vice-chairman to work alongside chief executive Helen Calcraft, following the protracted illness of chairman Jeremy Miles.
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Nationwide Insurance holds pitch for media and ad accounts
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Nationwide Insurance, the specialist arm of the building society, is understood to be holding a pitch for both its advertising and media planning and buying accounts ahead of a major relaunch later this year.
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Nestlé profits rise by 6.1%
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Nestlé the world’s largest food company, has reported a 6.1% increase in first half profits despite bottled water sales being hit by environmental concerns and rising raw material costs.
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New campaign - Mattel
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Barbie's world takes to TV
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New campaign - Johnson & Johnson
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
J&J rolls out Beijing Olympics TV ads
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Nike unveils campaign to praise UK gold medallist
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Brands sponsoring UK athletes are poised to take advantage of their successes at the Beijing Olympics, with Nike the first to unveil a new campaign ahead of what is expected to be a rash of advertising around medal winners.
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Northcliffe Media seeks trade and web marketers for two new roles
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Northcliffe Media is beefing up its marketing department with the creation of two new roles. The move comes as the newspaper industry grapples with widespread advertising revenues declines.
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'Olympifying' BP is a very slippery business
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
For BP, sponsorship of the 2012 Olympic Games is a godsend. At 50m plus, it couldn't come cheaper as a "get-out-of-jail-free" card for a corporate reputation sullied by litigation, alleged manslaughter and a once-iconic former chief executive telling lies in court about his rent boy.
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Online gaming site to expand beyond poker
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Online gaming operator 888 Holdings is plotting a raft of launches of new games over the next few months.
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P&G plots shake-up of its 4bn global agency roster
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Procter & Gamble is plotting a major shake-up of its global agency roster, worth an estimated $7.9bn (4.2bn), as it starts exploring a new, integrated client-agency model.
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Poor sales drive Diet Coke Plus from supermarkets
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
The future of Cola-Colas fledgling Diet Coke Plus brand is in doubt after a number of supermarket chains have delisted the product from the shelves, less than a year after it was launched.
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Private mobile number services risk pushing wrong buttons for consumers
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Directory services companies risk alienating customers by pushing ahead with controversial 'extras', such as mobile phone listings, which experts predict could ignite privacy fears.
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Publicis outbids WPP for Performics
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Publicis Groupe has bought Performics, the Google-owned DoubleClick search marketing arm, for an undisclosed sum. It is understood the group acquired the company after a second round of bidding against WPP Group.
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Publicis wins 5m Kumala Wines pan-Euro ad account
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Kumala Wines has appointed Publicis to handle its 5m pan-European advertising account. The agency has been tasked with repositioning the brand as a more premium offering.
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RBS reports 691m half-year loss
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
Royal Bank of Scotland, the owner of NatWest, has reported a pre-tax loss of 691m for the first half of 2008. It is the second biggest loss ever reported in banking history.
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Retail discounts fail to lure customers
Mon, 11 Aug 2008
Consumers are cutting "frivolous shopping" off their agenda, says the British Retail Consortium as it reports that UK retail sales value fell again in July by 0.9% compared with the same period last year.
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Reveal undergoes major re-brand
Sun, 10 Aug 2008
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Ringing the changes at Bacardi?
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
For more than two decades, Seamus McBride was busy selling toothpaste for Colgate-Palmolive in the US, and then Bacardi beckoned. McBride’s appointment as the new Bacardi chief executive comes amid speculation that the current chief executive of the family-owned spirits company, Andreas Gembler, ...
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Rising Stars 2008
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
The marketing industry has every right to boast about the talented and dedicated people who are shaping it, and Marketing Week is happy to blow the trumpets of key individuals. What is impressive about the men and women featured is the amount of hard work they have put in ...
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Sony and O2 launch MyPlay online music store
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Sony BMG Music Entertainment and mobile operator O2 are launching an online music store today (August 7). It is the first site to be supported by both a major label and a mobile operator.
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Star Wars video game in extensive licensing programme
Sun, 10 Aug 2008
The launch of the latest Star Wars franchise video game is being dubbed as the biggest licensing programme yet by its publisher LucasArts. Star Wars: Force Unleashed is due out on September 19.
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Stella awards Mother launch brief for 4% variant
Mon, 11 Aug 2008
Mother has won the launch task for the Stella Artois 4% variant. The win follows a competitive pitch against Lowe London, the incumbent on the existing Stella brand.
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Tesco to launch in India
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
Supermarket giant Tesco is planning to branch out into the Indian market, as it continues to expand outside the UK under chief executive Sir Terry Leahy. Its foray into the market will follow the footsteps of Wal-Mart, owner of Asda in the UK, which opened superstores in India last year.
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The Sun and Daily Mail post circulation rise
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
The Sun and Daily Mail were the two big circulating dailies to enjoy month on month increases, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures. In the case of the relaunched Sunday Sport, it finally enjoyed a reversal of fortunes.
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Thomas Cook folds sites into single online location
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Travel firm Thomas Cook is dropping four of its brands' stand-alone websites as it prepares for a relaunch of Thomascook.com.
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Three Rs of TV success
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
In a bid to convince the uninitiated that Sky One is about more than sci fi and The Simpsons, BSkyB is about to unleash its biggest brand overhaul of the channel, coupled with a heavyweight advertising campaign.
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Time for less talk, more action
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Business strategy means nothing if industry leaders lack the willingness, courage and commitment to execute the detail effectively, says Chris Hirst
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TUI raises marketing director to board role
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
Travel group TUI has promoted marketing director Tim Williamson to the board of directors in the newly created role of customer director.
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TV commercial impacts on the rise
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
TV marketing body Thinkbox has released figures that show commercial broadcast television saw total impacts up 6% for the first six months of the year. The figures, sourced from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, show a 15% growth in commercial impacts over the past five years.
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Unilever to launch 'healthy' Knorr line
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Unilever is understood to be launching a number of “healthy” sauces and soups under its Knorr brand, as part of its “vitality” strategy created to capitalise on the trend towards health and wellbeing.
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USwitch parts company with MCBD in ad account review
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
USwitch has called a review of its 6m advertising account as it parts company with incumbent Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Shaw. It is understood that the site has already approached agencies about pitching for the business.
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Virgin Media profits reach 333m
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Virgin Media has reported profits of 333m for the second quarter of this year, despite losing 19,500 customers during the period. The company reported its results for the three months ending June 30 today (August 7).
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Virgin Mobile launches Festival Buddy application
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Virgin Mobile is launching a "Festival Buddy" mobile application for this year's V Festival. It will allow festival-goers to view news and information about the event from today (August 7).
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Virgin Mobile to sponsor Sam King Bebo drama
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Virgin Mobile is sponsoring the latest Bebo online drama, in a partnership that will also see the Virgin Media-owned telecoms brand push its sponsorship of the V Festival.
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Vodafone and MTV to launch music TV show
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
Vodafone, the mobile operator, is launching a TV music programme in partnership with MTV. Vodafone Soundbites, due to air this month, is a series of 21 three-minute shows.
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Water prices could rise above rate of inflation
Mon, 11 Aug 2008
Water prices could surge above the rate of inflation between 2010 and 2015, if regulator Ofwat allows them to go ahead with price increases. The companies will submit bids for the next pricing round today (August 11).
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WCRS poaches BBH business director for MD role
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
WCRS has poached Bartle Bogle Hegarty business director Penny Herriman to become managing director. She replaces Will Orr who in June was promoted to chief executive.
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Will lightning strike twice for The Number?
Fri, 8 Aug 2008
Deregulation frequently offers an excellent opportunity for creating new brands. There are few better recent examples of this than the privatisation of telephone directories, following the dissolution of BT’s 192 monopoly in 2003.
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Woolies gets new chief executive
Tue, 12 Aug 2008
Retail chain Woolworths has appointed former Focus DIY chief Steve Johnson as chief executive. He will replace Trevor Bish-Jones, who left in June after six years at the helm.
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WWF launches ad slamming Shell claims
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
WWF-UK has today (August 13) launched an outdoor campaign criticising a Shell ad that has made false environmental claims. The attack follows the Advertising Standards Authority's decision to uphold WWF's complaint against the Shell press ad.
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Yell links directory and mobile services
Thu, 7 Aug 2008
Yell, the directories company, is launching a new mobile internet service in a bid to join together its 118 247 directory and Yell.com mobile offering. The service will launch on August 6.
